Gruler Gardens

06/23/2026

We're so excited that our dear friend and garden volunteer Denise Cruz has agreed to join us for our event on Wednesday, July 1 (9:00 a.m. until 3:00). Denise is also a talented artist and she will have note cards and tote bags printed with her work available for purchase. We're at 1298 E Gruler Road in Petoskey. Hope you will join us on July 1!

06/22/2026

We're making some exciting changes at our flower stand this season and can't wait to share them with you! So we're hosting a flower stand opening and special sale on Wednesday, July 1 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. See the flowers coming up in our new U-Pick garden, visit the children's garden area (with monarch caterpillars and clear evidence of fairies and elves), and browse handcrafted art and decor inspired by nature. It will still be early in the season for cut flowers (especially given the cool weather), but we're starting to see blooms and expect to have a few available for purchase in time for the July 4 holiday. I hope you'll stop by on July 1st. We'd love to see you!

06/15/2026

A huge thank you to all of you who came out on Saturday for our first native plant sale of the season. I'll remember the laughter we shared yesterday while huddled together under our shade structure, listening to the rain pounding on the roof and waiting for the downpour to stop. We all knew it would, and when it did you gathered up hundreds of native plants to take home to your gardens to help make this world a better place. It was only fitting that after this day of kindness and optimism I spotted this monarch caterpillar munching on a milkweed seedling as I was tidying up after the sale. I'll take that as a symbol of hope. Plant it and they will come - maybe before you even have a chance to get those plants in the ground! We're so grateful for you, our customers, who are also friends and kindred spirits. Looking forward to seeing you all again for our next sale on July 11!

06/12/2026

Our first native plant sale of the season is tomorrow, June 13 from 9 a.m. until 1:00. We're well stocked with the plants you need to support pollinators and other wildlife in your garden, like this gorgeous foxglove beardtongue, a bumble bee favorite. We're at 1298 E Gruler Road in Petoskey. Look for the signs and turn in at the flower stand. See you in the morning!

06/07/2026

05/22/2026

I'm pleased that Japanese barberry made the list. Yet it's still for sale in many nurseries. Please don't buy it.

Four popular shrubs and trees will be illegal to sell after a phase-out period for the nursery industry. Two aquatic plants face immediate prohibition next month.

05/18/2026

As planting native is embraced by more and more gardeners, I see more and more claims by large commercial growers about how their cultivars support biodiversity and are good for insects. This article does a good job of explaining why this is not the case

Written by: Uli Lorimer, Director of Horticulture, ELA Board Member Gardeners in the Northeast are fortunate to have a wealth of plant choices available in nurseries, garden shops, catalogs, and...

05/16/2026

How glorious to hear the birds singing and see the plum trees in bloom! Mild spring weather has been late in coming this year, which makes us appreciate it all the more when it does arrive. Orioles arrived early this week, and we saw the first hummingbird of the season on Thursday. Thankful for every day in this paradise!

05/12/2026

Greetings, fellow gardeners! I'm excited to announce that I will be teaching my popular class Getting Started with Native Plants again at NCMC on Saturday, June 6. If you're curious about native plants and want to know more about them, this class is for you! I hope you'll join us. See details and register here https://www.ncmclifelonglearning.com/event-6488094?fbclid=IwY2xjawRwZyxleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE3ajB0ZEdUNlJKdkpVNFFoc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHhdCq-Zpw_RQG952-jk-XYAyxnfOOhlSdp2rDBe3WoMSgyvV2pvnarnEHBxs_aem_JP6F0-bT5nJ_eWsKovEE_w